Youth
by fluorescent-adolescent13
Summary: AU. Brandon didn't know what he was doing here or why his mom was so persistent about him coming to this stupid group therapy session. But Callie, that was a name he was going to have to remember.
1. Chapter 1

Brandon didn't know what he was doing here or why his mom was so persistent about him coming to this stupid group therapy session. Though she had promised that it wasn't therapy - after all "the brochure said that it's just a chilled environment for teens to hang out and chat". He had been to a hundred of these before with the same thing plastered across brightly coloured leaflets and near enough all of them had "politely requested" that he didn't return for the next session. It wasn't his fault that he didn't want to sit around and cry about soppy bullshit while comparing how fucked up they all were.

Brandon watched his mom's car pull away from the sidewalk and for a split second he considered ditching group and walking straight over to the pizza place about a block away. Letting out a deep breath, he turned around, deciding that it was probably better just to keep his moms happy. Before he could make his way into the building that he was supposed to be in, a small brunette girl made her way into him.

"Hey! Try watching where you're going!" he spat out.

"Chill man, I could say the same thing for you," she replied, pushing herself away from him, and suddenly he felt a slight twang of guilt in his stomach. Looking at the girl in front him as she adjusted the strap of her backpack, Brandon realised that she must have been around the same age as him but by the way she was dressed, obviously from a different part of town. Her ripped jeans and washed out shirt weren't exactly the smartest looking clothes, or maybe that was just her style.

"Shit," he mumbled as he watched her walk into his building, making his way through the doors soon after her.

He hoped more than anything that he wouldn't meet the girl he had been so rude too again, especially not in a place where everyone's flaws see the light of day. Then she would really see what a weirdo he was. There was something about her though. She stood tall, like she had a purpose - or rather almost like she was ready to defend herself against anyone that tried to give her trouble, much like Brandon just had. He liked that though.

Unfortunately for him, the building was huge. An abundance of offices and intertwining corridors where all that met his eyes when he tried to find his way. When he finally swallowed his pride (and had accidentally interrupted a meeting or two), he realised that he had missed the obvious and the group session for teenagers probably wouldn't be found on the second floor. The directions that he had been given led him straight back to where he started but in fairness, the leaflet never said anything about going downstairs but he probably should have seen the sign adjacent to the front door.

Luckily however, he wasn't late. Everyone was just getting settled in as he arrived. There were only about a dozen or so kids there and it never failed to amaze Brandon that they looked so...ordinary, considering that they were all so messed up in the head. Making his way over to the centre of the room, he picked a chair closest to the exit and perched himself on the edge as if constantly ready to make a getaway. The grey plastic chairs were organised in what looked to be a circle but the lack of organisation made Brandon somewhat nervous.

"Okay guys, is everyone ready?" Brandon hadn't even seen the man there, he could have fit in perfectly had it not been for the slight age gap. He could only have been in his early-twenties at a push. "I see a few new faces so how about for the sake of them we go around and introduce ourselves again. Name, age, why you're here and how you're feeling today."

Nobody moved, the lack of enthusiasm evident.

"Okay, cool, I get it. For the record, I know that some of you guys aren't as shy as you're making yourselves out to be but I'll start anyways," the man started, running a hand through his brown floppy hair. Brandon noticed that it was the only hand that he actually had. "My name is Josh - Joshua, but only my mom gets to call me that -, I'm 23 and I have PTSD. I did a couple of tours in Afghanistan and the second time round my arm didn't come back with me," Josh laughed slightly, motioning down to where his right forearm used to be and nodding slightly to himself. "It's a little hard sometimes but you get used to it, I just thank God that I'm left handed."

Brandon was staring down at his hands, clasping them tightly together on his lap. He had no idea why he hadn't left yet, this was exactly the type of deep sharing crap that he just didn't like to get into.

"Callie, why don't you go next?"

"Um, sure," Brandon's head shot up quickly at the sound of her voice, it was the brunette from the outside. "My name is Callie Jacob, I'm 16 and I've been in more foster homes than I've had hot meals. I haven't been put in the best positions when it comes to them so I guess that's what landed me here," she made a slight waving gesture with her hand before sitting back down.

"Thanks Callie, anyone else?"

Brandon tried to catch her eye, staring over intently until she looked up. There was something captivating about her. When she realised what he was doing she simply scoffed slightly and raised a questioning eyebrow. He quickly looked back down at his hands - he was going to have to show her that he wasn't the asshole that he had made himself out to be back on the street.

"What about you pretty boy?" Josh smirked teasingly and gestured for Brandon to stand up.

He had to stop himself from making a snide remark back at the young man, he wanted to at least try and behave himself this time round. He had something to lose this time. "Hey, I'm Brandon and I'm 16. I'm here because my mom is a cop and she's good at peer pressuring her kids into doing things against their will and because my other mom decided that her child psychology degree wasn't enough to treat her PTSD ridden son, so here I am," he said before glancing over at Callie. "I'm also not very good at making first impressions, so sorry about that."

Brandon sat back down, becoming more comfortable in his chair and sitting back slightly. He barely acknowledged the slight praise he had gotten from Josh for "almost sharing", having not broken eye contact with the brown-haired girl across the room since he had aimed his last comment at her. She knew what he had said wasn't for the sake of sharing and she smiled slightly. He returned the gesture.

The rest of the session seemed to go quicker than the ones that Brandon had attended before, not that he spent much time engaged in the conversation - stealing gazes over at Callie when she wasn't looking as she consumed his thoughts. It wasn't until Joshua looked at his watch and declared that "that's us for today" and that he "hoped to see us all next week", that Brandon snapped out of it. He had decided that he was going to try and talk to her afterwards and redeem himself for his earlier mistakes but as soon as he stood up, she was gone. It was like she had vanished into thin air.

Sighing slightly, he made his way to the stairs. _I guess I'm coming back next week then,_ he thought.

The mid-summer sun of San Diego was shining down on him when he exited the building. It was a lot cooler inside for sure. He almost didn't expect his mom's car to be there when he got out, she was usually late in picking him up - sometimes things got hectic down at the station. Maybe this time he was just late in getting out, distracted perhaps.

"So B, did you share?" the blonde woman asked hopefully, looking over to her son as he got into the car.

"Yeah, it wasn't bad," Brandon said, ignoring the surprised look that his mom gave him. _Callie. _He was going to have to remember that name.


	2. Chapter 2

His hands were aching from practicing for so long. Brandon loved playing, he really did, but there always came a point when his fingers couldn't take much more. They felt like like they were going to fall off completely. He hadn't quite decided yet if he was going to go back to the support group yet. He couldn't bare the thought of being stuck in that tiny room again. It made him uncomfortable and frankly his idea of a fun Saturday afternoon _or_ Wednesday night for that matter, didn't involve him 'sharing' with a bunch of messed up kids again. Last time was a complete fluke. Joshua was kind of an asshole and he didn't even know if Callie would be there again. It wasn't worth it.

But on the other hand if she was going to be there then twice a week wouldn't seem that bad at all.

Brandon barely even knew the brunette but she had caught his eye from the very moment they had met - though it had been a somewhat awkward first encounter. He wanted to see her again, he wanted to talk to her, he wanted something. Even Jesus had noticed that something was up whenever one of their moms had mentioned the sessions. Mariana had caught on more quickly as per usual, and unlike her twin brother she knew exactly what, or rather who, was on his mind.

_"There's definitely something going on," Jesus had said that morning at the breakfast table when the subject arose. "He perks up as soon at anyone mentions it."_

_"What's so bad about that?" Stef had replied, laughing slightly while dishing out pancakes to each of her kids. "If B is enjoying himself - and not slouched over that piano all day and all night, during summer may I add - then who are we to judge Love?"_

_"So you made a new friend then Brandon?" Lena had asked, taking a sip of orange juice from her glass._

_Before he could say anything, Mariana had answered for him. "Have you seen him lately? He hasn't made a new friend, he's met a girl." Brandon coughed loudly, choking on a bite of his pancake. "See."_

Now he was back slouched over his keyboard and waiting for the inevitable moment when one of his moms would come upstairs and ask if he had any plans for the night - which would soon turn into a plea for him to go back and 'share'. Brandon had decided that if he pretended to be busy maybe they wouldn't come up at all - though he knew in the back of his mind that it wouldn't work. Maybe if he threw himself into working on a new piece then he would be able to get Callie out of his mind.

Before he could get his headphones away from their position on his neck, his mom appeared behind him just as he had expected her to do.

"Y'know as much as I hate you spending so much time up here on that thing, I'm beginning to miss the sound of you playing," Stef said suddenly, moving from her position of leaning against the door frame to sitting on her son's bed. "You should come downstairs and practice tomorrow."

"What's up Mom?" Brandon sighed, taking his headphones off completely and placing them on his lap. "If you're gonna talk about group -"

"B, I think that this could really be good for you after everything that's happened," the blonde interrupted him. "You just have to give it more of a chance...and what about that girl that the twins were teasing you about?"

"Mom, I gave it a chance. I think that it's a waste of me time and I don't need it. I'm absolutely fine," he shot back, his leg bouncing up and down though he barely even noticed.

"Brandon, we both know that you are not fine," Stef pleading, taking his hand in her own. "Please just do this for me Love."

"One more session," he sighed hesitantly.

"One more session," Stef smiled. "...so you better shake a leg, you don't want to be late."

* * *

This time around he knew exactly where he was going though he wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse.

"Brandon!" a voice called from behind just as he began to walk down the stairs. Turning sharply, he found himself somewhat nervous and wishing that he'd worn something a little nicer than an unwashed t-shirt from the previous week when he saw that it was Callie.

"Hey," he replied offhandedly.

"And here's me thinking that you wouldn't show up again," she teased and Brandon couldn't help but smile.

"Neither did I," he replied as they both began walking down to the meeting area. "But here I am."

"Well, I'm glad. I'm also glad that this encounter didn't involve either of us crashing into each other again."

Laughing slightly at her words, Brandon watched as Callie walked away from him and towards a group of teenagers that had already gathered in the centre of the room. He watched her chat to them for a moment before grabbing his own chair from a stacks resting against one of the walls, and joining the slowly forming circle. He recognised a few kids from before but just like him a few days ago, there were a few new faces looking just as uncomfortable as he had. However, there was one face in particular that was missing.

"Hey Callie, where's Joshua?" he called from across the circle just as she was about to sit down.

"Um, he has some bad days, we all do," she chose her words carefully before smirking. "So when he does, I take over. Is that okay with you pretty boy?"

Raising his hands slightly in surrender, Brandon smiled at the nickname that she had used. Callie went through Joshua's usual routine, introducing herself before encouraging the others to do the same. He noticed that her hair was different from last time, her hair curled into a dark mane that surrounded her head. He wasn't sure if he preferred it this way or straight but made a mental note to ask her what her natural hair was like. Brandon couldn't help but be distracted by Callie and these little details.

"Brandon?" Callie said suddenly, tearing him away from his thoughts as he realised he hadn't been listening to anything that had been said around him. "What's your story?"

"Um, I'm Brandon. My mom tho-"

"No, I mean what's your deal. What happened to you to make you need to join our messed up little group?" she laughed slightly.

"Well," he swallowed and licked his lips anxiously. "My dad has this alcohol problem and a couple of months ago it got kind of bad. He passed out when I was staying over and forgot that he had put a pizza or something, I don't really know what it was, in the oven. I woke up with the fire alarm going off but my dad wouldn't wake up. It was pretty...it was pretty bad. The smoke was so thick and it was unbearably hot. I can't really remember anything other than waking up in the hospital but they said that I carried him out by myself. I got burned pretty bad and I've been having these flashbacks and nightmares and my mom thought that this would help..."

He wasn't sure where it had all come from. He hadn't spoken to anyone about what happened nevermind a group of people he barely even knew. Brandon took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"So yeah, I'm a little screwed up." he laughed anxiously. He couldn't help but notice the look on Callie's face when he had finished.

"I guess we should finish up there guys..." Callie said suddenly but Brandon was already half way up the stairs before she had finished her sentence. She had to make sure that he was okay after that. Saying hurried goodbyes to some of her friends, she rushed behind him, eventually finding him outside leaning against the wall of the building they were just inside of. "You left pretty quickly back there.

"Yeah," he replied. "I just needed some air."

"I get it, it can all get a little too much sometimes," she said with a soft smile, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I think that's the most that I've heard you say though..."

Brandon laughed at her, she was making him feel better already and she had barely even said anything. "I don't usually...share."

"Me neither."

As he saw his mom pulling up on the sidewalk, Brandon turned quickly and spoke without thinking. "Would you maybe like to come have dinner with us?"

"Um," she laughed confused. "Would your parents be okay with that?"

"I have a big family. There's plenty to go round."

**I haven't updated in a while but I've got a lot planned for this story that I'm pretty stoked for so I would be eternally grateful if you could review so that I know you guys are liking what I'm writing. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

Stef couldn't help but be shocked at her son. As soon as Brandon had asked about bringing someone home for dinner, the look of confusion was etched clearly across her face. It took a couple of seconds for her to register her son's words but as she looked behind him, seeing the girl standing awkwardly on the sidewalk, she immediately said yes. A shy smile graced Callie's lips as she spoke - the blonde making sure that her voice was loud enough for them both to hear. Watching the pair slide into the backseat, one after the other, she couldn't help but let a small smile of her own creep onto her face. It had been too long since she had seen Brandon as happy. After all that had happened, it was all that Stef had wanted to see.

"B, you should call Momma and ask her to heat up an extra plate," the blonde said, looking back at the teenagers for a brief moment before pulling the car out of it's parked spot. She watched in the mirror as her son pulled his cell phone out from his back pocket before continuing. "So..."

"Callie," the brunette replied instantly, knowing exactly what the older woman wanted to know.

"Callie," Stef said, mimicking the younger girl with another smile. "Have you been going to group for a while?" The blonde wanted to kick herself after she had spoken. Of all the things to ask this teenager about - it could have been her hobbies, her family, even the weather - she asked about why she needed to go to therapy. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I've been going for a little while I guess. The guy who runs it, Josh, is an old foster brother of mine so I help him out a lot of the time," Callie replied, playing nervously with the sleeve of her sweater as she listened to the boy next to her speak. She couldn't help but smirk, stealing glances through her curly hair as she heard his words - noticing the redness growing on his cheeks with every sound that came past his lips.

"We'll be home soon...yes...yes it's her...please don't let the twins embarrass me," Brandon added the last part in a whisper in an attempt to hide it from the girl next to her but he was unsuccessful. It hadn't worked at all. Hanging up quickly, he raised his hips slightly to slide his phone back into his pocket before turning to face her with an awkward smile. "Full house. Don't judge me too harshly."

Callie couldn't help but laugh at him and how uncomfortable he seemed. "Don't worry about it. I wish that I had a big family, you should consider yourself lucky Brandon."

"You can have them if you like. I wouldn't mind a break."

"Brandon Foster!" Stef scolded him jokingly.

The journey back home didn't take as long as it usually would. The evening traffic was calmer than Stef had expected and the conversation had allowed the time to fly by them unnoticed. Callie couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as the car came to a halt. The big house, the big garden, the big family. It was all that she had ever wanted. The happiness. In her time she had been bounced around to various foster homes but there came a point where she was tired of all the change. She just wanted something to call her own. When the walked through the front door all the brunette could think about was how grateful she was the Brandon had asked her to come back with him.

"BRANDON'S GIRLFRIEND IS HERE," a voice shouted from another room. Callie could almost feel Brandon wince next to her as they heard what she could only assume was his brother's booming words.

"JESUS!" everyone except Callie, who couldn't help but simply laugh at the whole exchange, called back. Brandon immediately tucked his head close to his chest, trying to not let her see the scarlet shade his face had adopted. Letting out a deep sigh and scrunching his eyelids together, he spoke again. "One thing. All I wanted was him not to do one thing."

Callie laughed again but instead of replying straight away she simply brushed her fingers against his before lacing them carefully together. "Are you gonna introduce me to this wonderful family of yours or are we gonna just stand here all night?" she nudged his shoulder slightly before letting go of his hand and encouraging him with a small step forward.

Brandon began to move, walking in front of her and leading her straight into the kitchen. Callie had felt at ease as soon as they had entered through the front door, unlike the older boy she needed no encouragement. The same sense of sadness hit her as she passed all of the family photos lining the walls, all the memories that they had shared. Callie almost felt jealous.

"You must be the infamous Callie. Brandon has told us so much about you," Lena smiled warmly as she spoke, watching as the teenagers walked closer to her. She placed the knife that she had been using down carefully, next to the sliced tomatoes and cucumber. The voice had brought Callie out of her thoughts. "I hope you're good with lasagne?"

"Yeah of course, thank you. It's better than anything I would be able to make for myself tonight anyway. I don't think I can take another night of instant noodles," Callie let out a slight laugh at her own words, barely realising what she had said. Stef and Lena immediately looked at each other questioningly.

"What age are you again Callie?" the blonde asked, attempting to make her words sound casual though she was listening intently.

"Sixteen. Seventeen in July," the teen spoke again and Brandon motioned for her to sit down, patting the seat next to him lightly. She slid onto it without a second thought. Beofre either of the older women could say anything or ask anything else, Mariana half ran into the room - the focus immediately going to her. Jumping slightly onto the seat across for Callie, she let her bag drop down to her feet and slid her coat off. "Sorry I'm late...who's this?"

"This is Callie, Brandon's friend from group he's been talking about," Stef replied and the Latina raised an eyebrow with a smirk. Brandon groaned slightly as his mother spoke. All he needed was to be more embarrassed in front to this girl than he already was. The blonde scooped some salad onto her own plate before lifting to spoon again in a questioning manner. "Callie?"

"Please," she nodded, coughing slightly and covering her mouth in an attempt to get rid of the slowly forming grin that had began to appear on her face. Bringing her fist away briefly when Stef was finished. "Thank you."

"B, can you go get your brother. Tell him food's on the table," Lena asked, bringing the hot dish out of the oven and placing it on top of the island. Brandon sighed and stood up, though he only left momentarily. His loud shouting filled the house though he was only at the bottom of the stairs. The four winced slightly at the noise - Mariana over dramatically covering her ears.

"COMING," the younger boy shouted back and they both entered together as if nothing had happened. Both mothers looked at them with a frown, though Lena's was somewhat more serious than Stef's.

"Y'know I could have just done that myself Brandon," Lena said and he murmured a quick apology before moving back to sit next to Callie. Brandon politely placed a slice of lasagne onto her plate before doing the same thing to his own. Dinner went past uneventfully. Mariana, as she usually tended to do, told the story of her entire (obviously incredibly exciting) day - condensing it into a 10 minute burst luckily for the family. Until they had began to ask her questions, Callie had stayed relatively quiet - soaking up the atmosphere. She could almost pretend for a second that this was her own life if she tried hard enough.

"So Callie, do you have any siblings?" Lena asked before taking another mouthful of food.

"Yeah, I have a little brother. Jude," Callie smiled as she mentioned his name. "We were split up a little while ago though, I haven't seen him for a few weeks."

"Split up?"

"I'm a foster kid," she replied with an awkward laugh. Bringing out her battered cell phone, Callie scrolled through her camera gallery before settling on one of her favourite photographs - not realising that Brandon's eyes had been fixed to the screen the whole time. She passed the phone over to the older woman. "This is him."

"He looks just like you!" Stef smiled. "How old is he?"

"Thirteen."

"Did you take those other photos?" Brandon said suddenly, taking the teenager by surprise. "They're really great Callie."

"It's not that impressive. All you have to do is point and click," the brunette replied. She wanted to protest as the women began to scroll but she didn't want to be rude, or come across badly. She wanted to make a good impression. Even for just now, it felt like she was a part of the family and she had only just met them. It wasn't so bad.

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long!This is only a short one though. I was focused a lot on another story and a couple of projects I have going on in the real world. I was debating whether to continue with the Brallie in this - considering that Callie is now adopted on the show, some people might find it kinda weird. As always though, it's up to you. Please review and give me all the feedback you can. Tell me what you want to see and I'll update as soon as I can. Thanks!**


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